Israel To Withdraw Some Troops From Gaza to 'Help Economy': What We Know

Israel is planning to withdraw some forces from Gaza in order to initiate more targeted operations against Hamas, officials announced on Monday, 1 January.

Israel is also planning to let go of some reservists so that they can get back to civilian life and thus help the economy, Reuters reported.

Israel's battle plan: Since launching its attack against Hamas, Israeli officials said that the attack was to be waged in three main stages: the first was intense shelling to clear the routes for a ground attack; the second was an all-out invasion, which began on 27 October; and the third is set to begin shortly, with tanks and troops having now overrun much of the Gaza Strip and having asserted control over the area.

"This will take six months at least, and involve intense mopping-up missions against the terrorists. No one is talking about doves of peace being flown from Shajaia," the official was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Israel had originally drafted 300,000 reservists for the war – which is around 10-15 percent of its workforce.

Meanwhile, Gaza's health ministry stated that the war has killed at least 22,000 people so far – most of whom are civilians. Israel, on the other hand, states that it has killed over 8,000 Palestinian fighters.